We entered the final phase of our Austria tour. We were slow rolling our way NE towards Vienna, stopping at a few towns along the Danube in the Wachau Wine region. Our first stop was the Abbey at Melk. We were able to get a good feel for the place without paying admission to the gardens or the building. Also while we were there, 100 Asian tourists showed up off a Viking Danube cruise. I had read about these cruises, but was amazed at how many there were. It seemed like one was motoring down the river every 5 minutes. Mainland Europe’s version of the cruises from Miami to the Bahamas.
We drove through Spitz but it seemed pretty touristy, opted instead to stop for lunch at Weinschenke St. Michael at a restaurant of the same name.
Next up was the town of Dürnstein and its Blue Abbey. We walked through the town a bit before heading into Vienna to drop off the rental car and check into the Hyatt
We got checked in around 3pm and had a couple hours before we took the train to see the musical, “Phantom of the Opera” at the Raimund Theater.
Restaurants were crowded in the theater area but we were able to get a table at a traditional Austrian place called Bauernbräu.
I had seen Phantom a long time ago and knew its claim to fame was the set design and it did not disappoint. I got us 2 standing room only tickets, funny because when we showed our tickets to the ushers they just kept urging us further and further towards the attic of the building. The standing tickets actually had a nice structure to lean against. As soon as the performance started we moved to some really good seats. The best 10 Euro I spent during the whole trip.
The next morning we walked the Belvedere Palace on our way to breakfast at Naschmarkt food market.
It was a pleasant Sunday afternoon, instead of doing the city tourist walk we opted for taking the train to the northern outskirts of Vienna to hike City Hiking Trail 1 called Stadtwanderweg 1.
We stopped at various Wineries along the way, enjoying the weather on this roughly 6 mile hike.
It was a hot day and on the train trip back to hotel Amy leaned over towards me and said, “I am about to pass out.” I did what you’re supposed to do in such situations, and reached for my phone to document it as her eyes rolled back into her head.
The next day we walked the Ringstrasse, ring road that circles the city, containing all the famous sites. Following this trail and another guide.
Amy made sure we stopped at Sacher Café to get their famous chocolate apricot cake. I have to admit it was quite good and happy to pay the $15 to see what all the lines were about.
We did want to see a performance at the Vienna State Opera house but I was unable to recreate my standing room only trick from the other night. St. Stephens Cathedral was next up on the walking tour
We continued walking the streets before finishing the afternoon at the Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien (art museum)
Our flight out was uneventful other than a tight connection in Paris due to the need to take 3 shuttles to get from our inbound plane to the one ferrying us back to the US. Always remember when flying through Paris, you need a full 2 hours to connect!
We had a good trip with a healthy mix of culture, hiking and good food. More to come in the coming weeks!
Until next time,
Darren
